Cubic Yards to Tons: Gravel, Soil & Sand

How the cubic yards to tons calculator works

Enter a volume in cubic yards and the weight of one cubic yard of the material. The calculator multiplies the two to get pounds, divides by 2,000 to get US short tons, and also shows the weight in metric tonnes, the volume in cubic metres, and the density in tonnes per cubic metre.

The formula is T = y × ρ ÷ 2,000, where y is the volume in cubic yards and ρ is the weight in pounds per cubic yard. The metric figures use the conversion factors listed by NIST: a short ton is 2,000 lb (907.18 kg), a pound is 0.4535924 kg, a cubic yard is 0.7646 m³, and 1 lb/yd³ is 0.5933 kg/m³. So 2,700 lb/yd³ is 1.602 t/m³.

A worked example

One cubic yard at 2,700 lb/yd³ weighs 2,700 lb, which is 2,700 ÷ 2,000 = 1.35 tons, or 2,700 × 0.45359237 ÷ 1,000 = 1.22 tonnes. Ten cubic yards of dry sand at 2,600 to 2,900 lb/yd³ weighs 26,000 to 29,000 lb, or 13 to 14.5 tons, so the density you choose moves the answer by more than a ton.

For metric volumes, convert first or work in tonnes per cubic metre. Five cubic metres is 5 ÷ 0.7646 = 6.54 yd³; at 2,700 lb/yd³ that is 17,657 lb, or 8.83 tons and 8.01 tonnes. Working directly in metric gives the same answer: 5 m³ × 1.602 t/m³ = 8.01 tonnes.

Choosing the density

The weight of a cubic yard depends on the material, how wet it is and how tightly it is packed. The US Army's FM 5-434 Earthmoving Operations, Table 1-2 gives average loose weights of 2,700 to 3,000 lb/yd³ for dry gravel, 2,600 to 2,900 for dry sand, 1,900 to 2,200 for dry earth (loam or silt) and 1,700 to 2,000 for dry clay. Wet material is heavier: 2,800 to 3,100 lb/yd³ for wet gravel or sand and 2,800 to 3,200 for wet earth. The default of 2,700 lb/yd³ is the bottom of the dry gravel range. The same table notes that weights vary with grain size, moisture and compaction, and that the only exact figure is one measured on a sample of the actual material, so a supplier's own figure is the best one to use.

Loose, bank and compacted volume

A cubic yard of material does not stay a cubic yard. FM 5-434 distinguishes bank volume (in the ground), loose volume (dug out, in a truck or pile) and compacted volume (after rolling). Digging makes material swell: dry clay swells about 40%, so one bank cubic yard fills 1.4 cubic yards once loose, while gravel and sand swell 10 to 15%. The weight does not change, only the volume, so a bank cubic yard is heavier than a loose one. The manual lists dry clay at 1,700 to 2,000 lb per loose cubic yard and 2,360 to 2,780 lb per bank cubic yard.

Use the density that matches the volume you have. FM 5-434 treats the loose state as the volume of a load, so for material in a pile or on a truck use a loose weight. For a hole you have measured in the ground, use a bank weight, or convert to loose volume first. For example, 10 bank cubic yards of dry clay at 2,360 to 2,780 lb per bank yard weighs 23,600 to 27,800 lb, or 11.8 to 13.9 tons, and fills about 14 loose cubic yards on the truck.

Converting tons back to cubic yards

To find the volume a given weight will fill, divide by the density instead. Twenty tons of dry gravel at 2,700 lb/yd³ is 20 × 2,000 ÷ 2,700 = 14.8 cubic yards; at 3,000 lb/yd³ the same weight is 13.3 cubic yards. In metric, 20 tonnes at 1.6 t/m³ fills 20 ÷ 1.6 = 12.5 m³. That spread matters when material is sold by weight but the space it has to fill is measured by volume: a heavier load of the same material covers less ground, so check the supplier's density before deciding how many tons to order.

Ordering and hauling

Stone, sand and soil are sold by volume or by weight, so converting both ways helps compare quotes and check a load. Any vehicle has both a volume limit and a weight limit. FM 5-434 makes the point with a scraper rated at 25 cubic yards and 50,000 pounds: a light load such as cinders fills it before reaching the weight limit, while gravel, which may weigh more than 3,000 pounds per cubic yard, reaches the weight limit first.

What this tool does not do

It does not measure the volume, add wastage or compaction allowances, or price the material. It converts a volume to a weight for the density you enter.

Using this calculator with other BuildMetricLab tools

The gravel, sand and topsoil calculators work out the volume for an area and depth, and the cubic yards to cubic meters converter handles volume alone. All BuildMetricLab tools run in your browser with no sign-up, and every formula is shown on the page so the maths can be checked.